Balestrand – Raudmelen – Mukkegi

If you ever happen to be in Balestrand and you feel like a long and rewarding hike, this is the answer. It has almost 20km, offers beautiful views of the Sognefjord as well as nearby mountains and you can enjoy a summer snowball fight in upon approaching Mukkegi (1270m).

The trail starts in Balestrand and the first 2.5km, until you reach Klukkshaug (489m), will be in the forest with some occasional viewing spots. Once the trees start disappearing you’ll finally begin getting the feeling that this hike is gonna be a good one. On your left there’s Balestrand and Sognefjord, whilst on your right there’s snowy peaks including Keipen (1417m).

Soon you’ll find yourself walking along the ridge that takes you to Raudmelen (972m), the last peak before reaching Mukkegi. Keep following the nicely visible track along the ridge and in about 2km you’ll arrive to 3 tiny lakes. Here you can either decide to make the hike 3km shorter (by avoiding the detour to Mukkegi) or you can follow our coordinates and enjoy a snow-walk all the way up to the highest peak of this track (1270m).

Once you get enough of the views from the top of Mukkegi slide your way back towards the path that will slowly (but surely) take you back to Balestrand. After passing by Fagravatnet, a lake with a big sign “Drinking Water”, get ready for the fact the next few km may get a bit monotonous. If you have a complaining wife or girlfriend by your side just answer yes every couple of minutes and enjoy the view of the Sognefjord that you’re facing. It won’t take long until you reach the forest level again – from there it will be a steep but fun way down towards Balestrand.

You can download the GPS coordinates (in the GPX format) below the map by clicking on the “Download” button. Norway is an amazing country and we really hope you’ll enjoy this hike. Please leave us a comment with any kind of feedback or suggestion you may have.